Georgia Men’s Tennis Team Heads To Second Round of NCAA Regional

Wayne Montgomery celebrates a point during a singles match during an NCAA match between Georgia and Tennessee on Friday, March 25, 2016 in Athens, Ga. (Photo by Emily Selby)

The seventh-ranked Georgia men’s tennis team used a dominant performance Saturday afternoon at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex to take down South Carolina State, 4-0, and advance to the second round of the 2016 NCAA Championships.

Georgia improves to 21-4 on the season, while South Carolina State falls to 12-9. The Bulldogs return to action Sunday at 1 p.m. ET with a match against No. 35 Baylor with a trip to the NCAA Round of 16 on the line.

“I thought we were a little bit rusty in doubles, but we came out pretty energized, which was the difference,” head coach Manuel Diaz said. “In singles, Wayne Montgomery played a terrific match. Nick Wood and Emil Reinberg both did a tremendous job to close it out quickly. All of the matches were competitive today. South Carolina State has a very good team. They deserve to be here, and they played us tight just about everywhere.”

Paul Oosterbaan and Jan Zielinski got things rolling with a 6-2 win on the No. 2 doubles court. 11th-ranked Austin Smith and Ben Wagland followed suit with a 6-3 decision at the No. 1 position, giving Georgia the doubles point.

Senior Nick Wood put the Bulldogs up 2-0 with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over South Carolina State’s Alexander Stupar on the No. 5 court. Sophomore Wayne Montgomery finished shortly after with a 6-1, 6-3 win at the No. 1 position against South Carolina State’s Martin Figura.

“It feels good,” Montgomery said. “In doubles, I thought we had a hard time getting after them, but we did a great job in singles. I feel like we have put in the work over the last couple of weeks – I think we are confident and everyone is playing well.”

At the No. 6 court, freshman Emil Reinberg delivered the match clincher with a 6-1, 6-1 win against Edgar Diaz. The match clincher marked the fifth of the season for the Atlanta, Georgia native.

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